Vesna Nuon

LOWELL - Vesna Nuon is running for a second term on the City Council because, he said, after his first year he realized he had unfinished work he'd need to continue.

"There's always work to do," the 45-year-old said. The city needs to be made safer, more recreational programs need to be put in place and the tax rate needs to be stabilized. Work is always ongoing, he added.

"You can't just say 'we did it, let's do something else,'" Nuon said.

Nuon moved to Lowell in 1981 when he got a job with then-Middlesex District Attorney Tom Reilly. He has been heavily involved in the city since, especially among the city's Cambodian population, including work on Clemente Park on Middlesex Street and Cambodiatown.

As a city councilor, Nuon has recently pitched a plan to give small tax breaks to developers for employing city residents as apprentices on their projects. Anything to get much-needed jobs helps, he said, and those workers who begin as apprentices can soon earn coveted union jobs.

Asked what makes him the best candidate, Nuon said he doesn't have to be the best candidate. It is the nine council members together who get the job done, he said, and if re-elected he'll continue working with his colleagues on improving the city.

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"The council on a whole gets things done," said Nuon, who lives with his wife and two kids on Gibson Road.

Nuon has been a member of the state Sex Offender Registry Board for 13 years and has made a central part of his platform a push to make neighborhoods safer by ensuring residents stay active in their community. After-school programs and recreation leagues are two ways youngsters can stay active and out of trouble, he said.

"The key is an active and engaged community," Nuon said.

Vesna Nuon

Beautifying areas and making them more accessible by adding sidewalks, bike paths, street lights and trees is also vital, he said.

"We really want to make it look like a community," he said.

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Name: Vesna Nuon

Age: 45

Address: 10 Gibson Road

Job: Member of state Sex Offender Registry Board

Salary: About $90,000

Local professional and fraternal affiliations: Cambodian-American League of Lowell, state Asian American Commission

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